Plenaries
The EMCEI-25 Steering Committee has invited and also received requests from renowned distinguished scientists from over the world to offer plenaries on cross-cutting themes of environmental sciences, with a primary focus on the Conference Tracks (click on each title to read the content):
Plenary 1: The Impact of Climate Change on Marine and Coastal Environments: Monitoring, Management, Mitigation and Adaptation Measures
Maria Siclari
The marine and coastal environments are exposed to the effects of climate change on several fronts: rising sea levels, intensifying extreme weather events both locally and in the Mediterranean basin, and the change in hydrological conditions as a result of changes in surface temperature, wind regime, and surface and sub-surface currents. All these conditions have an impact both on the biological component in terms of modification of habitats and species present and on the morphological component of our coasts, with potential loss of biodiversity and significant coastal erosion phenomena. An effective and efficient monitoring system should be strengthened and maintained to fully understand the current state-of-the-art and develop future scenarios as reliable and accurate as possible. Knowledge is the basis for management, mitigation, and adaptation measures that will be necessary to assess their cost, feasibility, and effectiveness. The PNRR MER project, through the comprehensive mapping of the entire Italian coast and the implementation of an extended and capillary monitoring and observation infrastructure for marine and coastal environments, provides the country with essential tools to face the challenges that await us in our future: protect and preserve our natural heritage and make sustainable and solid development of the blue economy, an essential element for a country that is central in the Mediterranean context as Italy is.
Maria Siclari is the General Director of the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA). She graduated in Economics and Business from the University of Messina and obtained a Master's Degree in International Tax Law from the University of Rome "La Sapienza", Faculty of Political Sciences. She has previously held positions such as Administrative Assistant at the General Accounting Office of the State at the Ministry of Economy and Finance, Official at ISVAP, Manager at the Legal Affairs Service of the CRA, Head of Department of the Geological Survey of Italy, General Director of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), Manager of the Tenders and Procurement Service of ISPRA, and Vice President of the Italian Civil Protection Department (DPC) at the Presidency of the Council of Ministers.
Plenary 2: Thrive to survive: The Potential Synergy Between Psychological Well-Being and Sustainable Development Goal Achievement
Linda S. Pagani
Chercheure, Faculté de Médecine, CHU mère-enfant Sainte-Justine
Université de Montréal, Canada
The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) espoused by the United Nations provide a blueprint for achieving global sustainability, equity, and well-being for the future. These goals primarily address worldwide economic and socio-environmental challenges to humanity. The integration of psychological well-being offers a critical person-centered perspective that can enhance SDG achievement. This keynote explores how psychological well-being — conceptualized by Martin Seligman's Positive Emotion and Carol Ryff's Eudaimonia — can provide a powerful framework for advancing SDG fulfillment. Seligman’s Positive Emotion theory highlights the role of happiness, gratitude, and optimism in driving individuals toward more meaningful lives. By cultivating positive emotion, individuals and communities can become more engaged, innovative, and resilient in addressing global challenges. As a complement, Ryff’s Eudaimonia emphasizes the pursuit of purpose and personal growth. By fostering such well-being, individuals become agents of positive change, contributing to peaceful and sustainable communities. Through integration of the two psychological frameworks, this keynote aims to illustrate how fostering positive human development can generate wider societal benefits, reinforcing collective effort and progress in SDG achievement. This may create a virtuous cycle where human thriving supports positive energy in the direction of sustainable development. In turn, a sustainable world nurtures human potential. Human flourishment, through positive mental health, thus offers a blueprint for building a more motivated global society.
Linda S Pagani was born of post cold war-first-generation Italian immigrant parents. She was raised in a working class-newcomer neighborhood of the Greater Montreal area of Canada. Dr. Pagani worked as a registered nurse (1984-1994) at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital of Montreal in medicine, surgery, CVA rehabilitation, and finally, psychiatry. During that decade, she also earned university degrees at both Concordia University (BA Psychology 1986-1989) and McGill University (MA and Ph.D. Educational and Counseling Psychology 1989-1993) in Montreal, Canada. In 1993-1994, Dr. Pagani pursued a postdoctoral fellowship in epidemiological psychiatry at the Université de Montréal, using some of the most valued and informative longitudinal data sets of North American children. After formally leaving hospital nursing in 1994, Dr Pagani began her professorial career at the University of Montreal. In 2005, Dr. Pagani was ranked Full Professor at the School of Psycho-Education. She also has served as Senior Researcher, since 1999, at the CHU Sainte-Justine University Hospital Research Center in the Brain Health Division. Her research expertise examines modifiable factors in early childhood that affect human development. Her energy has been targeted at ultimately improving social/health policies addressing youth. She has always viewed psychology research/practice as a branch of public health. Her unique long-term research agenda examines: (1) Associated risks of screen-time in early childhood; (2) Associated benefits of physical activity and risks of sedentariness in childhood; and (3) Risks associated with a multitude of family environment factors such as maternal depression, secondhand smoke, minimized social interaction time, and bedroom screens. Dr. Pagani teaches and supervises full-time at the University of Montreal and worldwide. For decades, she has taught research methods and scientific writing, social and health policy; and Clinical Evaluation and Treatment of ADHD. Her clinical expertise as a practicing clinical health psychologist is the diagnosis and care of young people with ADHD, anxiety, and affective disorders. She has expertise in crisis intervention. She offers 1-day, 3-day, or 5-day workshops on (1) Scientific writing for science outlets; (2) Mental health and well-being; (3) ADHD Diagnosis/Care and (4) Social Science Research/Epidemiological Methods. As an active clinical health psychologist and researcher, she has figured prominently in local, national, and international media and is the most visible Umontreal.ca of her generation. Given the accessible nature of her work, she was awarded health achievement of the year at Time magazine in December 2009 for her article in JAMA Pediatrics on children and gambling behavior. Examples: (1) TV makes tots less intelligent, chubbier | CTV News, (2) Analysis: Do family meals lead to healthier lives?, (3) Éducation | La société a changé | La Presse, and (4) « La surexposition des enfants aux écrans pourrait être le mal du siècle » | Le Monde.
Plenary 3: Advances in Water Quality Monitoring: The Role of Chemical and Biological Sensors
Najla Fourati
SATIE Laboratory, Conservatoire National des Arts et Metiers, Paris, France
Water quality monitoring is directly linked to several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including good health and well-being (SDG 3), safe drinking water and sanitation (SDG 6), and life below water (SDG 14). Focusing on chemical and biological sensors, this presentation will introduce recent advances and applications related to water quality monitoring. Concrete examples will show how these devices can effectively address sustainable environmental management, ecosystem health, and resilience, thanks in particular to technological advances in real-time data transmission via wireless communication, miniaturization, and portability, which facilitate the deployment of sensors in hard-to-reach locations. These advances could be further enhanced by artificial intelligence technologies, which process vast amounts of data, enabling early detection of pollutants. This presentation will highlight that chemical and biological sensors are essential for the holistic management of natural resources and for achieving global sustainability.
Najla Fourati received her PhD in Materials Science from the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (Cnam-Paris) and her habilitation to direct research at Paris-Orsay University. Since 2008, she has been an Assistant Professor at Cnam Paris and is a co-head of the Cnam - SATIE Instrumentation and Imaging group. Dr. Fourati’s research focuses on the design of electrochemical and surface acoustic wave sensors for the monitoring of environmental pollutants, including heavy metals, pesticides, endocrine disruptors, and emerging pharmaceutical contaminants in both laboratory and real media. Dr. Fourati is an associate editor for several scientific journals, including the Euro-Mediterranean Journal for Environmental Integration. She has contributed to the academic community, authoring over 120 papers in international peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings, as well as five book chapters. She has also served as a Guest Editor for various special issues in peer-reviewed journals. In recognition of her contributions to academia, Dr. Fourati was honored as a Knight of the Order of Academic Palms in November 2018. Her work continues to bridge the gap between scientific research and environmental applications, making significant strides in the field of materials science and environmental monitoring.
Plenary 4: Sustainable Integrated Processes Towards a Complete Exploitation of Agrifood Waste Materials
Paola D’Arrigo
Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering “Giulio Natta”, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy
The valorization of residues from the agri-food industry is a highly important target, as it enables the recycling of resources in line with the strategic objectives of the Circular Economy. In fact, usually these residues have to be disposed of or, at best, used in waste-to-energy processes, thus wasting their potential as matrix rich in organic products which could be transformed and recycled. The development of new fractionation processes based on multistep strategies which exploit in particular the deep eutectic solvents mediation will be here illustrated for different waste biomasses such as Brewer’s Spent Grain and Rice Husks.
Paola D’Arrigo is an Associate Professor at the Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering “Giulio Natta” at Politecnico of Milano (Italy). She obtained her Degree in Organic Chemistry with honors from the University of Milan. Subsequently she completed her PhD in Industrial Chemistry and a post-doc in Material Engineering at Politecnico of Milano. Currently she is Professor of Fundamentals of Chemistry and Organic Chemistry for the first-year course of Bioengineering. Additionally, she has supervised numerous master’s theses in Bioengineering, Chemical Engineering, Industrial Biotechnology, Chemistry, Erasmus students, and PhD candidates. She has authored 80 scientific papers in peer-reviewed international journals, contributed to four book chapters, and authored three books for degree courses in General Chemistry. Her research focuses on diverse areas including green chemistry, the chemical applications of biotechnologies, biocatalysis, waste biomass treatments, lignin fractionation and valorization, the synthesis of new bio-based polymers, phospholipids chemistry, enzyme immobilization, and the use of non-conventional solvents. She is also in the Editorial board of the Euro-Mediterranean Journal for Environmental Integration.
Plenary 5: Integrating Urban Drainage Solutions within Open Space Systems Using Blue-Green-Gray Infrastructure: A Conceptual Framework
Marcelo Gomes Miguez
Cities are increasingly facing the negative impacts of rapid, uncontrolled urbanization and climate change. As a result, urban planning must account for the limitations of the natural environment, seeking to balance human activities with the proper functioning of the water cycle, while minimizing flood-related damages. In this sense, urban open spaces can be organized into a functional system that provides both ecological and social services, including temporary storage for stormwaters, which contributes to flood mitigation. By strategically incorporating urban stormwater dynamics into the design of open spaces, cities can enhance flood resilience. However, this requires a carefully planned approach to land use that ensures sufficient space is allocated for these critical functions.
To achieve this, the designation of Hydrological Interest Areas—comprising riverine zones, green plains, hill forests, and low-elevation terrains—can be established with clear guidelines and development restrictions. Within these areas, a blue-green infrastructure system can be implemented, aligning the interaction of natural and urban systems throughout the watershed. In this system, rivers serve as primary connectors, linking upstream and downstream areas.
This presentation will explore these concepts and potential interventions, drawing on a case study from the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro.
Marcelo Gomes Miguez is a full professor at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), where he has worked since 1998. He holds a Civil Engineering degree and obtained his Master's (1994) and Doctoral (2001) degrees in Civil Engineering also from UFRJ. In 2001, he received an award from the José Bonifácio Foundation under the Antônio Luís Vianna Program as a young researcher, in recognition of his work incorporating the effects of solid waste on the hydrodynamic modelling of urban flood flows. His doctoral thesis on urban flood simulation was awarded by the Association of Engineering Companies of Rio de Janeiro (AEERJ) in 2002.
Professor Miguez acts in national and international research projects, focusing on flood diagnosis, urban hydrology, flood risk analysis and flood resilient cities, and the design of sustainable urban drainage systems using hybrid blue-green-gray infrastructure. He also has expertise in fluvial hydraulics and computational modeling.
He served on the Brazilian Commission for UNESCO’s International Hydrological Programs (COBRAPHI) from 2011 to 2014 and is currently a member of the UNESCO-Latin America and Caribbean Urban Water Group. He also co-chairs the UNESCO Chair for “Urban Drainage in Regions of Coastal Lowlands”, in a collaboration among different UFRJ units: Polytechnic School (POLI), the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism (FAU), and the Alberto Luiz Coimbra Institute for Post-Graduation and Research in Engineering (COPPE).
Throughout his career, Professor Miguez has held various leadership roles, including Head of UFRJ's Civil Construction Department (2011–2013) and Department of Transportation Engineering (2005–2007), Coordinator of the Civil Engineering undergraduate course (2007–2010), and Vice-Coordinator of the Environmental Engineering Post-Graduation Program (2010–2011). Since 2012, he has served as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Urban Planning and Development (ASCE), and from 2013 to 2019, he was an advisor for the journal Municipal Engineer of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE).
Plenary 6: Nature-based Solutions for a Sustainable Future! Utilizing New Technologies for their Optimal Placement
George N. Zaimes
Deputy Director, UNESCO Chair Con-E-Ect Conservation & Ecotourism of Riparian & Deltaic Ecosystems
Director, Lab of Geomorphology, Edaphology & Riparian Areas (GERi Lab)
Assoc. Professor of Stream & Riparian Area Mgt, Democritus University of Thrace, Drama, Greece
Climate change is and will continue to have major negative impacts on ecosystems, societies and the world in general. To be able to adopt to this new reality the European Union (EU) has approved in 2020 the European Green Deal. This Deal is a set of policy initiatives with the overarching aim of making the EU climate neutral by 2050. Major tools that can help achieve this aim are Nature-based Solutions (NbS). Through NbS, natural and modified ecosystems are protected, sustainably managed and/or restored, based on environmentally friendly approaches, with the goal to undertake societal challenges and enhance human welfare and nature conservation. Climate change, disaster risk reduction, food and water security, biodiversity loss and human health are its focal challenges since these can impede sustainable development. The basic idea is to mimic “nature” to resolve these challenges sustainably. The EU is investing millions of euros to implement NbS. Still despite these large investments it will impossible to implement NbS throughout all the degraded ecosystems. In addition, till now their implementation has been relatively random and not as successful as expected. To achieve the maximum benefits of NbS their implementation needs to be targeted and based on science-based information. Targeted approaches indicate finding the optimal locations for their placement; for example to find the locations in a watershed to re-establish native vegetation to achieve the greatest possible reduction of surficial erosion after a wildfire. Two such case-studies will be presented that were implemented by GERi lab in order to effectively mitigate stream bank erosion and reduce stream litter. For the first case study the goal was to identify areas that had the greatest stream bank erosion and deposition utilizing new monitoring methods. These new methods would showcase potential sites to implement NbS. In the second case study the optimal location to place a litter trap will be presented. The litter trap was placed in urban riparian park to gather litter. To determine its location modern and innovative tools were utilized. Both case studies highlight how new technologies can provided science-based data that will allow land and water managers to place NbS in the optimal location. Such placements of NbS allow to achieve their maximum environmental benefits cost-effectively.
George N. Zaimes is an Associate Professor at the Dept. of Natural Environment and Climate Resilience, Democritus University of Thrace in Greece, specializing in Stream and Riparian Area Management. He received his PhD in Water Resources from Iowa State University. Currently he is the Director of GERi lab (Geomorphology, Edaphology and Riparian Areas), the Deputy Director of the UNESCO CHAIR Con-E-Ect on the Conservation and Ecotourism of Riparian and Deltaic Ecosystems and the Secretary of the International Working Group of Urban Streams. He is also an active member of the Mediterranean Experts on Climate and Environmental Change (MedECC). The focal point of his research is the sustainable management of streams and semi-aquatic ecosystems (e.g., riparian areas) with the implementation of nature-based solutions and ecosystem-based and ecohydrological approaches under the perspective of climate change impacts. Another important aspect of his research is utilizing new and innovative technologies to enhance cost-effectively water and environmental management. His extensive teaching experience on sustainable water management includes countries such as Greece, the USA, Germany, Spain and Jordan. He is also a very active researcher and has received many grants since 2000 from National (Greece and USA) and international funding programs (EU) (more than 2500000 euros). He is on the editorial board of several environmental journals including Euro-Mediterranean Journal for Environmental Integration, Sustainability, International Journal of Environmental Studies and Journal of Environmental Biology. Finally, he is the author of many book chapters & numerous publications in scientific journals and conference proceedings (exceeding 180).